Food Inc.

I just finished watching Food, Inc. and feel even more motivated to become a farmer. It's wrong for companies to monopolize the food production system. The only emphasis is low cost. That needs to change, because quality is what matters. Our food should be raised humanely and ethically, and sourced locally. People need to care about what they eat.
The big problem is that people often choose the cheapest possible item. The cheapest items in a market aren't organic, local vegetables. The cheapest items are most likely chips, and other processed food.

Watching this film, I was sickened to learn that multinational corporations control most of the food in this country. I think agriculture should consist of small-scale family farms, because it would be healthier. The multinational corporations have the ability to ruin farms and farmers with frivolous lawsuits, of which the only purpose is to continue the monopolization.

Material goods

In this society, people equate love with material objects. In our society, if you care about someone, you are to give them exorbitant gifts. Hand made gifts are often looked down upon, because most people don't value handmade arts. Mass-produced, expensive items are preferred. The Christmas holiday has become a celebration of excess and materialism.
We have become robots, who automatically spend excessive amounts of money in December. It would be good for our society if we could change our habits. Holidays should just be about good, local food, and not about gifts that were produced thousands of miles away.
Don't get me wrong, I am grateful for the gifts that I received, I am just pointing out a fundamental flaw in the mentality of our society.

What's the goal?

When talking to people about their futures, the common response is that their sole aspiration is to earn money. I never hear students mention that they want to be happy. It's all about money. I fully realize that money is necessary to survive, but it is overemphasized in our society. Why can't people focus on doing things that are fulfilling, or make them happy? It seems to me like they are afraid of being looked down upon if they don't have millions of dollars.

As usual, I am different. My goal is not to be enormously wealthy. My goal is to be self sufficient and happy. Yes, my goal is to be a farmer. I am well aware that certain people look down upon such a profession. I am also aware that I won't be extraordinarily wealthy. I really don't care about either of these "issues" very much. I am concerned with doing what I want to do.

Christmas

The holidays are upon us. People are planning extravagant feasts, and so am I. I am planning the holiday meal with a different emphasis. I would like to see if I can make a feast using ingredients from the local area. My goal is to source everything from within 200 miles. It will be a challenge to create a festive menu using local items, but I am up for the challenge.
Cooking is one of my passions, so I always enjoy these festivities.
If I can't source all items locally, I will try to source as much as I can from the local area.

Just trying to survive.

I feel as if I am mindlessly going through the motions of urban life. If I could, I would stop this monotonous routine. It feels as if there is no light at the end of the tunnel, because the bankrupt state couldn't afford to pay to keep it on.
I talk to these students at my school, who believe that their best possible future is to join the armed forces, and it makes me sad for them. Rather than set long-term and productive goals for themselves, they are setting destructive short term goals. I don't see anything positive that would be the result of military service. I wish that these students would do something productive.

I can't think about them too much, otherwise it becomes depressing. I simply spend my time thinking about farming, and about my future.
I wouldn't mention my aspirations among these students, because they would look at me in a peculiar fashion, and then make derogatory remarks behind my back.

My generation

I am part of a generation that is very unaware. For most people in my generation, the only agricultural experience that they've had is on a agricultural game online. I want that to change. I am tired of talking to people who don't know anything about food production, and more importantly, have no desire to know. On Facebook last year, when I learned how to milk, I put that as my status. In addition to supportive comments, which mostly came from adults, I got a comment that shocked me. The comment stated that it was disgusting that I touched the mammary glands of a cow. I feel that our culture is flawed if this is the general attitude towards agriculture.

Pressure

I was talking to a family friend, who has an elementary school aged daughter. The daughter routinely spends three or four hours per night on homework. She is taking piano lessons, and was playing soccer. After hearing this, I asked why such pressure would be put on a child. The reason for the pressure is so that the youth of today will be competative tomorrow, and successful. Success is often viewed as having wealth, and material possessions, and an easy life. However, success isn't the same thing as happiness. If people focused on what makes them happy, instead of what will earn the most money, then the quality of life would improve drastically.

Lag in posting

I apologize for not posting more frequently. I haven't been able to dedicate enough time to this writing project, which is quite unfortunate. I have been continuing to live my repetitive and mundane life. I long for the day when I can be surrounded by animals and plants. I long for the day when I can eat the fruits of my labor. For now, I am in a soulless metropolis, so I can only dream.

Fire

Here, in Los Angeles, people are able to create a fire simply by turning on a button. Once the button is pushed, there is a roaring gas flame inside the fireplace. Creating a wood fire is a much longer and more laborious process. People here in Los Angeles seem to have no idea of the process required to create a real fire that provides warmth. They don't know that you have to chop down a tree, or cut the logs to size, or let them cure. Because they don't know about the process, they take fire for granted. If we ever have a scarcity of gas, people will have no idea how to create a fire here.
Gas fireplaces provide instant gratification, without having to do any work, except pushing a button. If people had to do heavy manual labor for each fire, people would appreciate the warmth and light a little more.

Turkey

At the school I attended last year, I saw turkeys get slaughtered for our Thanksgiving festival. Seeing the slaughter was an experience like no other, because it made me think a lot about food. When most people sit down to dinner on Thanksgiving, they have only seen the turkey wrapped in platic, or on the plate.
If everyone who celebrates Thanksgiving were to witness a turkey slaughter, people would think more about what they are putting into their bodies. The meal wouldn't just be thought of as calories. The turkey would be thought of as an animal that was once alive and breathing.

I don't think people fully appreciate the fact that an animal died to be on their plate.
Whenever I eat meat, I am fully aware that animals gave up their lives, for me to eat.

Thanksgiving

As Thanksgiving dawns upon us, I am thinking about the food that is eaten.
This thanksgiving will be just like every one prior.
It will be another meal at which the diners will be blissfully unaware of where their food is from.
It will be another meal at which people are unaware of the horrors of factory farming.
I will most likely be the only one who cares about where food comes from.
I am always the only one, in that regard.

Farm to Table.

I was looking at the blog of Sterling College, in Vermont, and I read about a summer program being offered, which is the Farm to Table Program.
The program will cover production, food writing, food entrepreneurism,a Field Study in Vermont Food Systems, and Whole Farm Thinking. I am not sure whether these programs are only for college students, but I would be very interested in this program.

I am thinking about starting a rooftop garden, on our rooftop deck. I am thinking about just growing a few vegetables. Because our deck is not massive, I wouldn't be able to produce very much, but it would be a good experience to grow some produce.

Selling my ceramics

Over the past few years, I have done ceramics.
I have sold in three stores in California.
I have decided that I will start to sell my ceramics through my blog.
If you are interested in purchasing some of my ceramics, email me @ drouault.ceramics@yahoo.com

Living the urban life

Sorry for the lag in posting. I've been trying to keep my head above water in the urban public school. I am trying to adjust to living in such a crowded place, but it is challenging.
I came from a place where life wasn't so rushed.
I came from a place where people enjoy learning.
I came from a place where people aren't afraid to get dirty.
Many natives of Southern California seem afraid of getting their hands dirty. If someone steps in a minuscule puddle of rainwater, they are on the verge of tears. Where I'm from, a large puddle of mud is nothing to fret about, because you just walk through it.
If people weren't so precious, they would be better off. When talking about attending a school with an agricultural component, I am looked at as if I am crazy. I recieve looks, and feel like I'm of a different species. My desktop background on my laptop is a Holstein calf. When anyone at school looks at my desktop, I hear a snicker.
My alleged peers read Vogue, while I read Hoards.

Oh well, what can you do?

Why Farm?

At a recent dinner, I was with my grandparents. I was asked if I knew what my future profession might be. I responded that I was interested in agricuture. My grandmother said that people still need food, and was encouraging. My grandfather, however, said that "times have changed." When saying that times have changed, he meant that we now have supermarkets, and that growing food isn't a necessity nowadays. I didn't want to create animosity at the table, so I just nodded my head.

Yes, times have changed, but people still need to eat. If we didn't have farmers, there would be no food.
I am going to be a farmer, because I believe that people need to eat, and someone needs to grow the food.

Cultural Stigma Against Farming.

Joel Salatin, from Polyface Farm in Virginia, was interviewed by USA Today about farming, and he brought up something that is quite disheartening. He said that there is a stigma against farming, and it's viewed as a profession for the students with bad grades, and that most farmers are viewed uncouth and declassé. The assumption that farmers are stupid is so narrow minded, and so arrogant. The professions that are looked highly upon are the ones where you don't get your hands dirty, except from the ink on the New York Times.
There are people who think that they are too "good" to be a farmer. When I hear such an attitude, I am repulsed by the hubris. If you aren't too "good" to eat dinner, then you aren't too "good" to farm.

This is the pie that I made this evening.

Pie

It's saturday afternoon, and I baked one pie, and the second is in the oven.
It feels good to work with my hands, and produce something.
I started with one bag of apples per pie (I would rather be growing my own apples, mais c'est la vie. I sautéed the apples in about one tablespoon of butter. Once the apples were softening, I added a few dashes of cinammon and nutmeg. Once the apples were cooked, I let them cool

For the crust,
I combined two cups of flour and 2/3 cup of butter. I didn't know where our mixer was, so I crumbled the butter into the flour by hand. I added a small amount of water, just enough to make the dough come together. I then rolled the dough into a ball, and put it into the fridge for 45 minutes. After that time had elapsed, I put the doughball on a floured surface, and rolled it out, to a thickness of about 1/2 inch or less. I put the crust into a pie dish, and added the apple mixture.

The first one turned out fabulously, and I think the second one will as well
Just an FYI, for the first pie, I formed the top from the excess dough on the outsides of the piepan. For the second one, however, I made some more dough, but omitted the setting up phase. To compensate for the rushing of the dough, I mixed in some more flour.

The formulation of a plan.

To get the farm started, and to purchase the farm. I will get a group of 5 or 6 like minded people together. We will each pay a part of the cost to purchase the farm. Also, we will each work on the farm, either with crops, or livestock. Crop selection, and other decisions will be made as a group.
It will take a few years to get started, but once established, we will be fully sustainable, and I am thinking about having a farm stand to sell my products.
In terms of livestock, I am thinking about cows, for dairy and beef, pigs, and sheep. I will have many different types of crops, because my goal is for all food eaten on the farm to be produced within.

Colleges

Why do people choose to go to such huge colleges?
I have no idea.
UCLA has over 26,000 students in the undergraduate program. Yale has approximately 6,000 students. I frankly don't see anything appealing about being in such a large environment. Currently, I am at a public high school with 3,000 students, 9th-12th, and I feel lost in the crowds. Some of my classes have almost 40 students in them. My goal is to go to a college where I won't be in a massive crowd. Being in a tight-knit community is something that matters a lot to me.

Another thing that bothers me greatly is that there are many students who don't want to be at school. I often see these kids sleeping on their desks. Also, many students don't turn in homework, even in Honors classes. When I see students with a lack of motivation, it can be demoralizing to be in the same class.

I want to be surrounded by people who enjoy working, both academically, and physically. I am fed up with the apathy that I see at my school.
So, while some kids are planning to drop out, and others are planning to go to a huge school, I am going to work towards attending a small school with a focus on agriculture.

Little Boxes

Many people have preconceived notions about education.
Most people believe that the quality of a university is based on how many billions of dollars are in the endowment, or on the number of well-known alumni.
Decisions on college should be based on the program, and its compatibility to the beliefs of the students. Not all people fit into molds. I don't.
I have many interests. I am interested in politics, ceramics and agriculture.
Because of my varied interests, I can't be labeled, or put into a box.
Frequently, students apply to certain colleges, based on name recognition value, or based on the age of an institution.
If people based their college choices on their passions, people would be happier.

You can find a school that fits your interests, even if your passions don't fit into the arbitrary definition of academic interests. Very few colleges have agricultural programs, but some do. Because of this, I will focus on the colleges that have a farming curriculum when I start applying.

Materialism

It's been a while since I last posted, and nothing much has happened. I am still dissatisfied with urban life, and still want to be out on a farm somewhere. Even though I am just a student in High School, I am starting to look at rural real estate sites, and frankly, I am surprised. For the price of a farm in upstate NY, you can't get a place to live in LA. You can only get an expensive car. People pay ridiculous amounts to live in certain locales.

In Los Angeles, there are people who pretend to be concerned about the food they eat, and they pretend to care. They think that shopping at the farmer's market makes them good people, and connected to their food.

My belief is that if you want to feel a connection to your food, grow it yourself. It's that simple. It will take more effort, but it will be healthier. Some people use farmer's markets at a symbol of status, which is equally repugnant. They believe that people will think of them as superior, due to where they shop.
That's where materialism begins to show. Caring about where things are from, not due to a personal preference, but due to a desire to be acknowledged because of the object.
Are people that shallow??
Malheureusement, oui.

Farming

In this pretentious, urban society, there seems to be a social stigma attached to farming and farmers.
An example of this is in one of my previous entries, in which a substitute teacher said "who would want to be a farmer?"
Honestly, I don't really care if people think negatively on that profession. Every has the right to choose their own path.
I am getting sick of the urban/suburban shallowness that exists in many places. People in cities and some suburbs are so afraid of hard physical work. Their definition of hard, strenuous work, is using the computer, or making a call.
People should stop looking down on farmers, because they provide food.
If all of the supermarkets closed down, it would be interesting to see what would happen. I wonder if people would start to farm their own food, or if they would find another way to be separated from the production.

The pace of life

"There is more to life than increasing its speed"
Gandhi.


If only people actually listened to this quote, and followed it. I see these people who are in such a hurry from the time they wake up, until they go to bed. What will be accomplished by rushing to complete tasks, or to get somewhere? The only result will be stress piling up, and the risk of injury increases.
The school that I attend only gives us seven minutes to get between classes, so we are expected to run from place to place, in order to avoid being penalized. If we're late, we get punished. Why don't people just stop, take a deep breath, and just relax. I have a hard time getting accustomed to such a hectic pace.

Another problem is that the integrity of the students is always called into question. One of my teachers told me that I can't use my laptop for quizzes, because he can't ensure that I won't cheat. In history, yesterday, the teacher had given an in-class writing assignment. He collected the papers at the end of the period, and said that he would let us work on them again today. Today in class, he found out that another student had not handed his in at the end of yesterday's class, so he automatically made the assumption that the student would cheat on an assignment.
What has education turned into?

Buying

Grocery shopping is a perfect example of a problem with our society.
We buy things that can be made at home.
We buy meat, which can be raised humanely, and with a low carbon footprint, on a farm.
We buy vegetables, which we can grow ourselves.
We buy baked goods, which aren't as good as home-made.

I really wonder what would be so terrible if we were all self sufficient, and sustainable. What kind of negative impact would there be if we didn't need to shop for everything? None. It would be good for us all, because it would require learning, and effort.

Thoughts

I go through the same routine every day. That would be fine if I was enjoying my routine, but I am not. I have no idea what the aspirations of my "peers" are, but I would be willing to bet that I am the only one who wants a sustainable, and self sufficient life in a rural area. The students who are considered to be motivated probably want to hold a lucrative position, such as lawyer or something along those lines. I bet they give no thought to their own happiness or fulfilment, because the school doesn't allow them to think in such a profound way. The only thinking permitted by the school board involves circling an answer on a test.
In history class yesterday, we were discussing capital punishment. The substitute teacher asked us to guess what states outlawed capital punishment. I guessed Vermont as one of those states, and I was right. On the way out of the classroom, I made a comment about the beauty of Vermont. The substitute teacher agreed with me, but said that there are no jobs in Vermont. I replied that there are farming jobs. I was quite surprised when the substitute teacher replied "who would want to be a farmer? It's really hard work." I had to bite my tongue when hearing this, because I could have made a very sarcastic remark.
As I sit in a plastic chair, attached to a small desk surface, I want to be out in a field picking crops, or milking a cow, or even shovelling cow excrement. At least that would serve a real purpose. What gets accomplished when you memorize the periodic table, and can give the atomic number of any element? Nothing.
I would be willing to bet that most students will forget the periodic table, or Pythagorean Theorem.
I can't take the pressure and the judging. The only judgements I want are the fat and protein levels in the milk produced by my cows.

Another Day.

Another day has passed. Another boring urban day, without any livestock to care for or crops to harvest.
I see these people in Southern California, and they pretend to be connected to the food that they are eating, but one can't be fully aware until they have participated in the raising of the animal, or the picking of the crop.
When someone buys a carton of milk at a grocery store, they have no idea what went into the milk. They don't know what the cows are like. That is deprivation, in my opinion.
I long for the day when I can be sustainable, and raise my own animals, and grow my own crops. I feel so detached from the whole process.
I am starting to think about college already.
At my school, the students who intend to get a good education often look at colleges because of prestige, or popularity, even if the college doesn't suit their interests. There is this idea in American culture that a degree from a first rate, well known university can help you earn money, even if you're not happy.
This is something I refuse to do. I refuse to go to a college based on brand value.
I am thinking about a small college called Sterling College in Vermont, where they have a program for Sustainable Agriculture.

When I get my farm, it will be a great place, and a quiet, pleasant place. There will be no competition, and no standardized testing. There will be a slow and relaxed way of life, with hard physical work.
While most people my age want their first automobile to be something fast, or sporty, I'd be perfectly content with a John Deere tractor.

Intro

I am the Future Farmer. I am currently at a huge high school in California, and I spent the last year at a boarding school with a farm in Vermont. I miss the animals. I miss the sounds, the smells and the sights. Most of all, I miss the people, who were so down to earth. Outside of agricultural communities, everyone is in such a rush to get ahead. It's all about taking the most advanced courses, and taking the most challenging tests, and not really about learning. I find this to be sad and upsetting.
I said to my mother a few weeks ago that if you were to take the kids who got into Yale, or scored 2400 on their SAT's, and bring them to a farm, that they wouldn't know how to manage livestock, or even how to harvest crops. Even though these students lack practical knowledge, they are considered successful and educated.
My definition of success is being happy, and living a good life. To most people, a good life is having a lucrative career, and a large house or apartment, and buying the best food. I feel that you can have a good life working very hard physically, and that your work has more meaning when the product of your work is your dinner, or your clothing.